Eyeshield or the like



Nov. 7, 1939. 1 A, ENGLlsl-i 2,179,286

EYESHIELD oR^- THE LIKE Filed Jan. 7, 1939 l 5,2 5a f f 45x mvENToR f r mi il' fr "l- ,lib/gemir ,if f VR) JoH/v AENGL/s/l. l

ATTORNEY atented Nov. 7,

NITED STATES PATENT yFFICE Claims.

elements which are within the held of vision oi Y the wearer and present blind spots which are confusing to the wearer and citen distract attention from the objects being viewed.- Moreover such constructions do not accommodate themselves readily to the contouroi the wearers iace or engage the ears and nose so as to be comfortable to all users and they are easily bent or broken when dropped or handled roughly or when folded carelessly. i llt also has been proposed heretofore to form eyeshades or goggles of flexible transparent material held in place by an elastic band or cord extending about the head. Such constructions are unsatisfactory because the elastic or 'cord draws the transparent material close to the Wearers eyes and into contact with the eyelashes, cheeks and eyebrows interfering with the sight and annoying the wearer. In some cases they flexible material is provided with a frame extending about the edge thereof to support the flexible material but the frame engages the users face and besides being uncomfortable 'forms an enclosed or not ventilated at all, thereby .increasing the discomfort to which the wearer is subjected.

In accordance with my invention these objections and disadvantagesof constructions ofthe prior `art are overcome and eyeshaues or eyeshields provided which' provide a full clear eld of vision, accommodate themselves automatically to the contour of the wearers face and provide an eye piece, together with means hereinafter referred to as the "ear pieces which engage the users ears and serv to cause the eye piece to extend in an are in front of the Wearers eyes and spaced from that portion of the face adjacent thereto. The eye piece rests upon the wearspace about the eyes which is poorly ventilated er's nose and thus is supported at three points.

The ear pieces generally are formed of relatively std or even rigid material and arelcon-F nected to the eye piece in such a way as to canse the eye piece to be iiexed when the device is ap d plied and to extend in an arc between the ear pieces and the nose ci the wearer so as to be heldv away from the users face. The eye piece preferably is relatively long and the ear pieces relatively short so that when applied the eye piece'lil extends rearwardly beyond the limits or the wearers held of vision providing a clear unobstructed View and eliminating blind spots or unprotected areas. By forming the eye piece, and if desired the ear pieces of exible material the eye piece is capable oi bending readily to an extent .sucient to accommodate the device to the contour of any wearers face. The ear pieces and the eye piece therefore adjust themselves automatically to any wearer so that there is no u'ndue pressure of the ear pieces or eye piece on any part of the wearers ears or nose. The nexibility of the eye piece is preferably such as to permit ready folding of the device into a smalll space without careful manipulation and if desired the ear pieces may be sufiiciently exible to eliminate all danger of injury to the device on dropping, bending or rough handling.

These and other characteristic features, objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description thereof in which reference is made to the figures ofthe accompanyme prawns.

In the drawing: Y

Fig, 1 is a top plan view of a typical form of eyeshield embodying my invention as seen when in use.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of that form of eyeshield illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a typical form of 40 connection between an eye piece and anear piece embodying my invention.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating an alternative form of connection between,..an eye piece and an ear piece embodying my invention'. 45

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a further alternative form of eyeshield embodying my' invention.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the eyeshield of Fig. 5. Y

Fig. '7 isa perspective of an eyeshieldiillustrating another embodiment of -my invention.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of another form of my invention.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a detail of the construction illustrated in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a ective oi a further alternative embodiment of my invention, and

Fig. 11 is a front elevation of a form of eyeshield embodying my invention wherein .the ear pieces as well as the eye piece are nexible.

The construction illustrated in Fig. 1 is typical of eyeshields embodying my invention in that it includes a exible eye piece 2 and ear pieces 4 for holding the eye piece in place. The ear pieces in this instance are represented as -being relatively stiff or substantially rigid and are connected to the eye Apiece at 6 in/such a way that the eye piece extends in an arc therefrom as indicated at 8 resting upon the wearers nose at ill. The extremities of the eye piece to which the ear pieces are attached are located rearwardly of the limits of the iield of vision of the wearer so that blind spots are eliminated and the extent of the area to which protection is afforded is increased.

As shown in Fig. 2 the eye piece is formed of an elongated flexible strip of transparent material having a eut-out portion or recess I2 formed therein for engaging the wearers nose. The ear pieces 4 to which the eye piece 2 is connected are relatively short as compared to the length of the eye piece and are formed with enlarged por'- V tions I4 which overlap theends of the strip 2 as seen in Fig. 3 so as to be secured firmly thereto. With this construction it is possible to form both of the ear pieces exactly alike rendering the de vice reversible and permitting either ear piece to is required for forming the ear pieces.

The ear pieces and the eye piece may be made of any suitable material having the desired properties. Typical of the materials preferred are -cellulosic and resinous compositions although the ear pieces may be made of metal or of any other substance desired. When the material used can be formed intothin transparent sheets or strips both the ear pieces and eye piecemay be made of the same material, or one part may be made ofone composition and the other of a diierent composition. If desired 'the eye piece may be .made of colored substances, green or amber, to Y shade the eyes and it may be formed of flexible light polarizing 'material for further protectin the eyes.

Preferably the parts are formed of material capable of being cemented,l glued or otherwise iolned togetheras by the use of a solvent or heat ,l

and the parts may be bonded together under pressure or otherwise. In a typical case when the parts are formed of material such as various cellulosic compounds which are soluble inl acetone or are softened or rendered plastic thereby a satisfactory bond can be made by applying a small amount of acetone to one or both\ parts and holding them in engagement while the acetone evaporates. In other cases -cementing agents or glue may be employed for securing the parts together. As shown in Fig. 4 the parts may be secured together by means of rivets, screws or other fastening elements I6. In any /case the construction provided is suchthat the eye piece 2 normally tends to extend in the same general direction as the ear piece to -which it is connected and when the eye piece is not ilexed the parts aivaaae generally lto lie substantially in the samev plane. When the eye piece is flexed to apply the ear pieces to the wearers ears the eyepiece extends forward therefrom in the form of an arc if), as seen in Fig. 1, and thus is held away from the users face and out of contact with the eyelashes so that it does not annoy the wearer and ventilation of the space shielded by the device is assured. Thisriiexing allows the ends of the eye piece and the connections between the eye piece and the ear pieces to be located rearward of the face and out of the wearers eld of vision.

As shown in Fig. 3 the portion I4 of the ear piece which overlaps the end oi' the eye piece 2 may be formed with a rounded or curved mar.- ginal edge or corner I8 adjacent the surface oi the eye piece so that on flexing of the eye piece toward the ear piece to a position such as that shown in dotted lines at A all danger of the adjacent corner of the ear piece puncturing or cracking the material of which the eye piece is formed is eliminated. At the same time the construction presents an extended edge free from any corners or edges at which pealing or separation of the materials can start readily when the eye piece is exed to the position shown in dotted lines at B" in Fig. 3`. When a cementing agent such as an elastic glue is used the thickness of the glue at 20 in the crevice adjacent the corner I8 may beincreased to receive and take up the strain at this point and prevent starting oi a tear or crack between the ear piece and eye piece.

The construction illustrated in Figs. 5 andv 6 shows an'eyeshield in which the eye piece 22 and the ear pieces 24 are formed integral, the ear pieces being relatively thick and stiff and the eye piece being thin and more exible. Initially the portion of the eyeshield formed into the eye piece may be substantially of the same dimensions'as the ear pieces as shown in dotted lines at' 26 and subsequently may be subjected to a forming operation for shaping or ilattening out of the central portion to form the eye piece. However, the integral construction may be initially molded to its iinished shape or otherwise formed as desired. Such an vintegral construction eliminates assembling operations and all danger of the elements breaking apart or becoming loose at the juncture of the eye piece and ear pieces. Moreover, the degree of flexibility changes more gradually in passing from the ear pieces toward the eye piece so that strains on the parts are-not concentrated in one location and the device accommodates itself to the wearers ears, temples and nose more eiectively.

In Fig. 7 I have illustrated a form of integral eyeshield which is initially molded to the' general shape which it will assume in use but which has a thin iiexible eye piece 28 and stiier ear pieces 30. This construction permits the use of certain less ilexible and thicker compositions in the production of eyeshields than may be used to produce the form of eyeshield illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5 for example, while at the same time rendering the device automatically adjustable to the contour, of the wearers face by reason of the yielding nature of the eye piece.

" In some instances, and particularly when using polarising material or other relatively expensive compositions in forming the eye piece, or when the device is to be folded into a small compact container itis desirable to provide the construction with one or more hinges between the parts. As vshown in Fig. 8 an eyeshield having eye pieces it hinged together at 34 is provided with ear pieces 36 which if desired may also be hingedly secured to the eye pieces at 38. The hinge construction used is preferably of the type shown in Fig. 9 and is such as to prevent movement of the parts joined thereby beyond a substantially straight line so that when the parts are in their normal fully opened position (but not ilexed for Wearing) they form a flat or nearly at construction as seen in Fig. 9. When flexed for wearing as shown in dotted lines the stops 40 on the hinges prevent movement of the parts beyond the limits xed by these stops while the exibility of the material of the eye pieces permits movement of the ear piece into place forming the arc I as seen in Fig. 1 and serves to locate the hinges 38 suiilciently far back toward the users ears to be well out of the eld of vision. When not in use the eye pieces can'be folded outward together as indicated by the arrow 42 and the ear pieces also may be vfolded outward over the eye pieces as indicated by the arrow 44 to form a small compact package.

The construction of Fig. shows the manner in which the eye piece may be formed or molded ,to provide a nose engaging element or support dt. The eye piece 48 and ear pieces 58 are made as in the forms of my invention described above whereas the flexibility of the nose piece serves to prevent irritation of the nose when the device is worn by individuals having heads or faces of dierent contour. l

Fig. 11 illustrates a form of eyeshield in which both the eye piece and the ear pieces are formed of flexible material permitting thedevice to be rolled up into a very small compact body capable oi being carried loosely in the pocket. The parts may be made integral' from an elongated strip oi material 52 cut out at 54 to engage the nose and cut out at 56 near the ends of the stripy to engage the ears-and provide the necessary earpieces 58. This construction like thosewherein stiff ear piecesY are employed serves to cause the eye piece to extendin an arc in front of the wearers eyes. Moreover, the flexibility of the ear pieces increases the ability of the device to accommodate itself to the contour of the users face or head. The ear pieces may of course be somewhat thicker and stiffer than the eye piece but in practice this is not found to be necessary.

In each of the forms of my invention described the exibility of the eye piece permits movement of the ear pieces over the temples as well 1- as relative movement oi' the parts with respect to the ears and nose to relieve pressure which otherwise might become very annoying and render the construction uncomfortable to any wearer. This accommodation of the eye shade to the contour of the wearers head and face takes place automatically without conscious adjustment of the parts and is accompanied by flexing of the eye piece without impairing the vision. The

- form of the arc assumed by the eye piece will vary with the degree of flexibility of the material of which the eye piece is made and to some extent upon the iexibility of the ear pieces but the particular curvature thereof is not important and will be determined in part at least by the width of the wearer's head and the contour of the face.

The relative length of the eye piece and ear pieces also is subiect to variation. As shown in Fig. l1 the ear pieces may be very short and the eye piece extend substantially from ear to ear whereas as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the eye piece may be shorter or not much if any longer than the ear pieces. It is desirable however for the eye piece to be sufllciently long to eliminate blind spots at the point of connection of the ear piece to the eye piece.

While I have illustrated and described a number of alternative embodiments of my invention it will be apparent that many changes and modifications may be made in the form and arrangement of the elements and that they may be made of any suitable material. In viewthereof it should be understood that the forms of my invention shown 'in the drawing and herein described are intended to be illustrative of my invention and are not intended to limit the scope thereof.

I claim:

1. An eyeshield comprising an eye piece formed of an elongated strip of thin, flat, exible ma# terial having an edge thereof formed with a portion for' engaging a wearers nose, ear pieces connected to the eye pice adjacent the ends thereof by a xed and iniiexible connection whereby the ear pieces tend normally to assume positions in which they lie substantially in the same plane as the eye piece, and serve when moved intopposition to engage the ears of a wearer to iex said eye piece so that the eye piece extends in an arc from said ear pieces and is held away from the wearers face, said ear pieces and nose engaging portion of the eye piece constituting the sole support for the device when in use.

2. An eyeshield comprising an elongated strip of thin flexible material constituting an eye piece, ear pieces which are stlifer than the'eye piece attached tothe eye piece by a fixed and inexible connection and serving to cause the eye piece to be flexed upon movement of the ear pieces into position to engage the ears of a wearer whereby whenV in use said eye piece extends in an arc from the ear pieces and is spaced from the face oi the wearer.

3. An eyeshield comprising an eye piece formed of thin flexible material and ear pieces which are stiffer thanthe eye piece formed with portion overlapping the ends of the eye piece and secured thereto, the edges of the surface-of the overlapping portion of the ear pieces which are adjacent the eye piece being rounded so as to permit flexing of the eye piece without danger of the ear piece puncturing the eye piece.

4. An eye shade comprising an elongated strip of flexible material constituting an eye piece and ear pieces shorter and stiier than the eye piece attached to the eye piece near the ends thereof by a fixed and iniiexible connection whereby the ear pieces normally tend to extend in the same general direction as the adjacent portions of the eye piece, said eye piece being oi' such length that the points of attachment of the ear pieces to the eye piece are located out of the ileld of vision of the wearer when the device is in use.

5. A reversible eyeshield comprising a flexible eye piece and identical ear pieces attached to the opposite ends ot the eye piece by a xed and inflexible connection whereby said ear pieces on movement thereof into position to engage the ears of a wearer serve to ex the eye piece into an arc spaced from the wearers eyes.

JOHN A. ENGLISH. 

